Recommended Reading

I spend a fair bit of time when I'm not out taking photos, sitting on Photoshop or on dA of course, reading books about photography. I thought I would present a few very brief thoughts on some books I have been reading. One of the best I've found is:

"Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3":

This book works through a number of projects from start to finish, and is an interesting and enjoyable read. You can also download the photos and work on them too. Some may either love or hate the casual style of "narration" in this book. I would highly recommend this if you are looking for a good foundation on developing a workflow. I use many of the techniques and ideas now.

Scott's book got me interested in Lab Color mode, which leads me to:

"Photoshop Lab Color: The Canyon Conundrum" (Dan Margulis):

This seems to be a highly regarded book on colour correction. However it is not for the beginner, and is quite heavy-going at times. I am still working my way slowly through this.

Lab mode separates the luminosity from the colours. This book explains why you would want to do this. There are some simple steps presented which quickly improve any photo, and plenty of (technical) detail on general colour correction for many situations. Probably more than the average person needs to know, but a good reference book.

"Perfect Exposure: The Professional Guide to Capturing Perfect Digital Photographs" (Michael Freeman):

I must admit, I really discovered how little I knew about exposure through reading this book. It is highly informative and a fairly easy read for someone with a little knowledge. Michael covers many different scenarios of exposure and explains how to meter correctly and when to compensate based on the nature of the scene. Highly recommended.

"Practical HDRI" (Howard):

Great overview if you like HDR images, especially the overcooked variety (which some may regard as the classic HDR look). But if you have moved on beyond HDR, this book, which has plenty of photos but is a bit lacking in copy, will remind you why you did so.

"Michael Freeman's 101 Top Digital Photography Tips":

Another great read from Michael, who covers just about everything in manageable bite sized chunks: exposure, colour, composition and technical aspects. By nature, not too in depth, but a very good general overview for beginners and enthusiasts. More experienced photographers will probably know most of the tips already.